In the tiny premises shared by the four unions of the Auchan hypermarket in La Seyne, Jean-Paul Barbier, the CGT union delegate, is in videoconference with the CGT representatives of all the stores in France, on this Wednesday after- noon, the day after the announcement of a restructuring plan covering 2,400 positions in the central social and economic committee (CSE). Purpose of the meeting; debrief on the CSEs which were held everywhere that same day and above all prepare the response.
Which will begin with the request for expertise regarding public aid. “We want to ensure that they have served well to develop employment and training” underlines Gerald Villeroy, Auchan France retail union representative. Suffice it to say that trade unionists doubt it. “Our store received €700,000 under the CICE (Tax credit for competitiveness and employment, Editor’s note) and we have had no permanent hires in return, only occasional reinforcements”testifies a representative of the Saint-Loup hypermarket in Marseille. According to the center, the turnover of staff, nationally, is 26% in the Auchan group.
“We see it clearly, every month there are departures which are not replaced”assures Jean-Paul Barbier. But if the Prime Minister himself raised this Wednesday the question of public aid from which Auchan benefited, the crux of the matter will undoubtedly also be that of economic strategy.
Strategic errors
Here too the CGT is considering an expertise, while the CFDT raises the possibility of an economic alert. “The last 20 years have been punctuated by strategic errors. We have never aligned ourselves with the prices of independents, not to mention self-checkouts, which we denounced from the start. Unknown markdowns (mainly due to theft, Editor’s note) went from €70 million in 2021 to €138 million, which is more than half of the savings that general manager Guillaume Darrasse announced he wanted to make. If they had listened to us on this subject, we would have saved half of the jobs threatened today.” explains Didier Ganovelli, CFDT union representative at the central CSE and elected to the Martigues hypermarket, also on deck the day after management's announcements.
The elected official also fears the placement in rental management of the former Casino stores just bought by Auchan. “For the moment we are part of a company called A320 but not yet integrated into the group. Within three years – its lifespan – we will know if the stores are integrated or switched to franchise or lease management” testifies a CGT elected official from this new branch of the Auchan galaxy, also by videoconference.
25% margin rate
In the meantime, employees don't really know what awaits them. Certain professions, such as that of equipment sales advisor, or even safety manager, will disappear. The staff concerned will be offered a new position as part of the job protection plan which will be negotiated from the end of November. The CGT has already announced that it will not sign it.
The priority for staff representatives is to shed light on the “strategic errors” committed by successive managements. Like the one experienced by Greg Bartoloméi, elected official and CFDT union delegate in La Seyne, precisely a sales advisor. “The group has been refusing bonuses to sellers for years, even though we bring in a lot of insurance contracts, for example.” Something to demotivate. The unions also point out the ultra-versatility, which harms the quality of work, and “a margin rate of 25%”out of step with the purchasing power of consumers. If the unions expect difficult negotiations, they intend to get answers.
